There will be no new churches and Christian ethics in schools, you will build prisons and correctional colonies, - Metropolitan Epifaniy

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epifaniy, wrote about it on October 15 on his Facebook page while presenting his interview with DetectorUA on the YouTube channel.

"I am confident that it is necessary to continue teaching Christian ethics in schools, but, unfortunately, we see fierce opposition to this. And the question here is not at all a lack of teachers, because we have enough specialists – educational institutions have released enough of them. Here the problem is different – in the unwillingness to do this," he said.

According to the Metropolitan, "Some forces in Ukraine claim that religious knowledge should not be allowed into school."

"The Church preaches moral values, and now, unfortunately, aggressive secularism inspires us with other" values", its own stereotypes, and this is invested in books and textbooks, trying from childhood to instill in children what is alien to our culture, tradition, and values," Metropolitan Epifaniy explained.

According to the head of the OCU, the subject does not have to be called "Christian ethics", the main thing is "that it should be a subject of moral and spiritual orientation, because if there is no such education from school, then there will be other problems."

"I am often asked:" Why do you need to build new temples, you don't have enough of those that are there? Why teach Christian ethics in school?" I say, "Okay. Don't you want to build churches or teach Christian ethics at school? Then you will build prisons, correctional colonies, and Drug Treatment Centers." Why can't you teach good things at school? For evil strikes back, and it will be striking back again. And we want to prevent this," Metropolitan Epifaniy explained.